They are a total splurge item Simply the best binoculars in the world at a price that is also at the top
Not that you buy optics to resell them, but Swarovski optics are unbelievable in terms of value retention
My original SLC were sold for more than I bought them for five years after I bought them when I upgraded to a pair of EL‘s in 2005
My EL‘s were sold for more than I paid for them when I upgraded to a pair of NL pure in 2023
You certainly don’t need to spend that type of money to have glass that’s far more than highly functional but if you want to, you probably won’t regret it
I will say that it’s amazing what the NL line did to the EL line because you can get EL now for about 2100 I believe when they were up 600 more than that prior to the NL’s
If it wasn’t for the NL‘s, the ELS would still be considered the gold standard, and they can be had at a relative bargain today because the line above them was upgraded yet nothing negative was done to their quality
So I would scour eBay and you’ll be surprised what you can find there from very legitimate online optical shops
One place I would definitely call is where I ended up buying mine from which was Cameraland in New York they did not charge which saved a couple hundred and they did not charge the most recent MSRP at the time because they had them in stock at the old MSRP and we’re willing to honor that so between those two benefits I think I saved almost $400 in the spring of 2023, because the MSRP prior to the 3369 number was I think 3199
The main benefit of the NL‘s aside from ergonomics is generally identified as edge to edge clarity, and increased field of view, both of which were already exceptional with the EL
Essentially the NL 12 X have a field of view even at the higher power that was the same as the EL at 10 X would
Some would say take the extra two you’ve still got phenomenal field of view and if you happen to be concerned about holding 12 versus 10 steady Check out the forehead adapter
The forehead adapter is another 159 bucks. It works like a charm. The only downside is when it’s mounted to the binoculars they don’t fit in the chest pocket
The 12 X are only another 40 bucks more I believe than the 10 X
They sold quickly.
I bought my 10x NL's and went on a couple vacations with my wife inc Norway...then rolled right into a hunt- gone for about a month. I rarely get a voice mail- so never really look for those.
Cameraland had a problem with my CC going through and they had left me a message almost a month earlier.
I called Neil to get it squared away when I realized and I thought they would be freaking out. Nope, he said, "No problem, we knew you were good for it"
Good outfit, you have to call them though for best info and pricing
The problem with 12s is that they're definitely confined to open country use and I'd also need a pair of 8s for WT hunting. Right now, I just use my 10s for WT hunting. They're not ideal, but survivable. But I definitely wouldn't want 12s WT hunting.
I've helped my guide buddy who has those 12x- effing awesome binos for sure. Me, I really need them on a tripod to take full advantage of the extra power- YMMV
I would definitely call is where I ended up buying mine from which was Cameraland in New York they did not charge which saved a couple hundred and they did not charge the most recent MSRP at the time because they had them in stock at the old MSRP and we’re willing to honor that so between those two benefits I think I saved almost $400 in the spring of 2023, because the MSRP prior to the 3,369 number was I think 3,199
